Turtle identification? I don't think it belongs here


So I was fishing today and I came across a turtle that seemed to have himself stuck in a little rut near the main body of water. I picked him up and he just looked strange to me, I wasn’t sure what kind of turtle he was so I googled turtles of wisconsin to see if I could figure it out. I thought he was a common snapping turtle at first but the beak and colors just didnt look right, next guess was an eastern musk turtle but that didnt seem to match either, apparently they have a yellow stripe on the sides of their heads that makes them identifiable. Unless I’m a total idiot I think he may have been a pet turtle that got released or he just doesn’t belong here. He does seem to have an injury on the side of his face, hoping someone can help me identify him and if he’s not native or whatever who to contact, thanks!


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Looks like an Eastern Musk Turtle to me, not all musk turtles look alike. Also please don’t remove wildlife, especially if you are unsure if it is a native species or not, because it’s possible you’re removing an animal from its natural habitat.

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the pond is right down the street from me, if he is an eastern musk turtle then I’ll just go drop him off in the same area I found him. Thanks :slight_smile:

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Sounds like you’ve got it handled, then. :turtle:

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It looks like a musk turtle to me. A fairly common turtle in the mid-West. They like to sit at the bottom of shallow waters, like slower streams and ponds. Because of that, they aren’t often seen. But, they are there.

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